USRF Awards 9 Student Athletes with 2025-2026 Collegiate Scholarships
The US Rugby Foundation is thrilled to announce our 9 exceptional student-athletes selected for collegiate scholarships in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Congratulations to these outstanding recipients! Their dedication both on and off the field represents the finest traditions of rugby: integrity, passion, and commitment to excellence. The selection committee noted how these recipients embody the spirit of our sport in everything they do.
Each recipient will receive financial support for educational expenses including tuition, materials, and academic fees.
By investing in these promising young athletes, the US Rugby Foundation continues its mission to foster the growth of rugby while supporting educational advancement. We invite our entire rugby community to join us in celebrating these remarkable individuals as they pursue excellence in both their studies and athletic endeavors.
| Recipient | Scholarship |
|---|---|
| Travis Anderson | William Campbell Scholarship |
| Charles Gilbert | Dick Poulson Scholarship |
| Max Horn | Richard A. Donelli Scholarship |
| Sarp Kundakci | Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship |
| Landon Lockhart-Keener | Terry O'Reilly Memorial Scholarship |
| Carolyn Melody | Dick Poulson Scholarship |
| Nora Rosenburg | Meg Votta Scholarship |
| Elizabeth Strickland | Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship |
| Walter Tidenberg III | Meg Votta Scholarship |
Travis Anderson
William Campbell Scholarship
Travis Anderson only picked up a rugby ball in his junior year of high school, recruited by his captain and coach at Oceanside Collegiate Academy. Within two seasons he had made the South Carolina All-State Team, earned a spot on the SC Rugby All Stars (the Barbarians), won multiple tournaments including Ruggerfest and the Atlanta 7s, and been named his program's Most Improved Player. Before rugby, Travis was a dedicated multi-sport athlete: he played football from 3rd grade through his senior year (earning "Hardest Worker" honors twice), three years of high school baseball, and has been playing soccer since age 5. He graduated from Oceanside, a dual-enrollment focused school, with a 4.5 weighted GPA and the equivalent of up to 60 transferable college credits. Described by his coach as someone whose respect for opponents and referees became "exemplary," Travis brings the values of rugby into everything he does. He was recruited by and will play for Clemson University, where he hopes to help the Tigers compete for a championship.
Charles Gilbert
Dick Poulson Scholarship
Charlie Gilbert has been surrounded by rugby since birth, attending his father's matches from just a few weeks old. He began playing at age 5 at Eltham RFC in Australia, and when his family returned to the United States, he joined Loudoun Rugby for eight years before switching to Vienna Rugby in 2023 to push himself toward his full potential. The move paid off: Charlie earned a spot in the MLR Old Glory U19 Academy, was selected to the USA National Team Player Pathway Academy, and received an invitation to the U23 Western Province Academy in Stellenbosch, South Africa. A tournament MVP and state champion at scrum half, he also coaches youth players and has logged 50+ hours of community service in local elementary school PE classes. Off the pitch, Charlie is a published aviation photographer and is working toward his private pilot's license, with a lifelong dream of becoming a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. He will continue his rugby and academic career at the University of Arizona.
Max Horn
Richard A. Donelli Scholarship
Max Horn came to rugby through an unconventional path. In 7th grade, isolated during COVID lockdowns at a small school, his family enrolled him in outdoor activity-based therapy. His therapist, a former rugby player, introduced him to the game, and Max walked into an Atlanta Youth Rugby open day and found the community he had been missing. From there, he threw himself into the sport: he earned a spot on EIRA (Eagle Impact Rugby Academy), traveling to British Columbia, Italy, and Amsterdam, and also made the USA South Panthers, traveling throughout the Southeast. He served as captain of the Varsity Golden Eagle team at The Galloway School in his senior year and was recruited to Kutztown University, where he will study psychology with the goal of one day opening his own practice. A cross country runner, boxer, and weightlifting club organizer, Max also volunteers with the Learning Disabilities Alliance and works as a counselor at a music camp for at-risk youth. His story of personal transformation through rugby is, in his own words, the story of who he is today.
Sarp Kundakci
Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship
Born in Turkey and raised between Bristol, England, and Nashville, Tennessee, Sarp Kundakci has used rugby as a constant thread connecting very different worlds. He began playing at age 9 at Bristol Grammar School, joined Clifton RFC, and served as captain of both clubs before relocating to the United States at age 15. In Nashville, he joined Raptor Rugby TN and Panther Rugby Academy, where he captained teams to a 2023 7s State Championship, 2024 and 2025 State 15s Championships, a 3rd-place finish at the 2025 HS Boys National Championship, and a 2023 U16 National 7s Championship with the Panthers. He also represented the IRANZ High Performance Academy in New Zealand in April 2024. Beyond the pitch, Sarp founded the first-ever rugby club at Ensworth High School, growing its membership to over 80 students, and maintained a 4.0 GPA through his US enrollment. He is a Young Men's Service League founding member, a varsity soccer and football player, and a bronze LAMDA award winner for drama. Sarp will continue his academic and athletic career at Penn State University's Smeal College of Business, where he plans to compete for a starting spot and the team captaincy.
Landon Lockhart-Keener
Terry O'Reilly Memorial Scholarship
Landon Lockhart-Keener first picked up a rugby ball on January 10, 2015, when his mother signed him up to learn tackling before football season. He has not put it down since. A four-year captain at Decatur High School, Landon started as scrum-half for the Rebels Rugby program in middle school (where he served as captain for two years) and transitioned to fly-half in his senior year, all while competing nationally and internationally with the Panther Rugby Academy. He was a key contributor to the USA U16 National Championship team in 2022 and the USA U18 National Championship team in 2025, and earned three national 7s championships along the way. He also served as a certified rugby referee and completed the International Baccalaureate Career Diploma Program, graduating with honors while carrying a 3.84 GPA. Landon committed to the University of Kentucky in December 2024, where he joins a program that has won back-to-back national championships and where he plans to study Finance with a minor in Data Analytics at the Lewis Honors College.
Carolyn Melody
Dick Poulson Scholarship
Born into a rugby family, Carolyn Melody grew up on the sidelines before stepping onto the pitch herself, and she never looked back. She began with the Lutherville Timonium Vipers before transitioning to tackle rugby with the West Carroll Marauders, where she captained the team in her junior and senior years. During her high school career, Carolyn earned selection to the EGRL Select Side for the USA Territorial Championships three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025) and participated in the inaugural EIRA Ireland Tour, returning as one of its captains in her final year. She graduated from Delone Catholic High School with a 4.17 GPA, earning membership in the Spanish National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta, among other honors. Carolyn will continue her academic and athletic journey at Quinnipiac University, where she plans to pursue a degree in Sports Communications while helping build the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby program into a force in the Northeast.
Nora Rosenburg
Meg Votta Scholarship
Rugby has been part of Nora Rosenburg's life since before she was born: both her parents played, met through the sport, and have remained deeply involved in the rugby community ever since. Nora began with flag rugby at age 5 and transitioned to tackle rugby in 9th grade with Doylestown Girls Rugby, where she grew into a starting lock and lineout jumper. Her club resume is extensive: Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (including the U18 Ireland Tour), the Atlantis Rugby Academy U19, the U18 EGRL Selects, PR7s Locals Academy, and the inaugural cohort of USA Rugby's High School High Performance Pathways program. She earned a Pennsylvania State 15s Championship, EGRL Championship, and the Doylestown Rugby Gary Smith Memorial Scholarship for demonstrating sportsmanship and leadership. Away from rugby, Nora played competitive baseball with the New York Wonders girls' travel team, appeared in an HBO Real Sports segment, and helped petition her school to start a girls' wrestling program. She has also earned her certification as a rugby referee. Nora will attend La Salle University on athletic and merit scholarships to play NCAA Division I rugby, where she plans to major in Mathematics and pursue a career in sports analytics.
Elizabeth Strickland
Kaler Family Rugby Scholarship
Elizabeth Strickland picked up a rugby ball for the first time in September 2024, and within a single season she had earned three Player of the Match honors and been named Player of the Year at her club's end-of-season banquet. A multi-sport athlete throughout high school, Elizabeth competed in track and field (qualifying for district championships all four years) and wrestling before finding her home in rugby, where she plays wing, center, and fullback. She was selected to represent the Washington Selects in the Great Northwest Challenge in Montana, going undefeated in four games. Her story is one of resilience: she battled through significant personal loss during high school, using rugby as both an anchor and a launchpad. Elizabeth will attend Central Washington University in the fall, where she has already been recruited by the Wildcats, and plans to pursue a career in paramedicine with the goal of helping people in her community.
Walter Tidenberg III
Meg Votta Scholarship
Walter Tidenberg III credits rugby with transforming him from an obese, unconfident 7th grader into the person he is today. Invited by a friend to join the Panther Rugby team in Massillon, Ohio, he dropped 80 pounds in his first summer and discovered a lifelong passion for fitness, competition, and leadership. He fought his way to the A side in 8th grade, became team captain in his junior and senior years at Perry High School, and helped insert rugby into his school's athletic culture by securing varsity letters, gym access, and a practice field. At Ohio State, where he now studies astrophysics as a sophomore, Walter claimed a starting tight head prop spot within his first three games, earned 2nd Team Tight Head All-Conference honors in the Big Ten, and was invited to play for the Gentlemen of Aspen, where he was awarded "Silver Miner" for scrummaging and mauling, playing through a torn bicep. He is also a teaching assistant, a competitive powerlifter, an Eagle Scout with 9 palms, and is founding a fraternity on campus. His coach describes him simply as "one of the most multi-talented individuals I have met in my career."
